Maria David
THE Ongwediva Town Council on Tuesday inaugurated its new leadership for the Junior Council, with the 17-year-old Teofilus Shaduka sworn in as the eighth and first ever male junior mayor of the northern town.
Shaduka, a grade 11 learner at Gabriel Taapopi Secondary School, was sworn in with 17 other new members of the Ongwediva Junior Council.
Anna Ashipala from Mweshipandeka Senior Secondary School is the new deputy mayor.
Members of the council are selected from various schools within Ongwediva and serve for a period of two years.
Ongwediva Chief Executive Officer, Damian Egumbo, said the first Junior Council inauguration took place in 2010.
Egumbo stated that they are proud to be associated with the Junior Council, a structure that helps mould children into great leaders.
“They are not ceremonial leaders, but community activists who contributed to the development of their community,” he said.
Egumbo explained that some of the significant activities planned including the organising of the Day of the African Child, soliciting funds to acquire masks and sanitisers, as well as donating school uniforms.
He then urged the youth of the town to be at the forefront of youth community development without compromising their education.
In his acceptance speech, Shaduka said the new Junior Council will address issues affecting the lives of young people in Ongwediva.
“This doesn’t simply means that we plan on having talks discussing these issues, but instead we want to tackle them head on,” he said.
Shaduka promised to remain resilient during his tenure and pledged to deliver on their promises.
Outgoing deputy mayor, Christoph Ndengu, said their work will not end now that they are outgoing, and that they will remain ambassadors of Ongwediva.
